Banana loaf is comparable to sausages, in that one person’s favourite is never like that of another. It begins with the name: is it a loaf, a bread or a cake? I’ll use loaf; it refers only to the shape after all, and not what is inside it. The one that got me hooked in childhood was definitely cakey, however. Golden and shiny on the surface, it was one of those cakes that never managed to reach room temperature because the whole thing would be polished off while still warm.

Banana loaf exists, and must have been invented, as a solution to the foibles of children’s eating habits. Is it just mine, or are all cadet consumers erratic in their taste for bananas? If I buy a bunch each week it might disappear in one night – or equally be ignored, blackening and enveloped in a shroud of fruit flies. This is where, presumably, a banana loaf comes in. Ripe bananas seem to lose their mustiness in a cake batter and come to life in a gorgeously sticky way.

The recipe below uses the boiling method I now employ for most of the fruit cakes I make, and has the effect of adding the flavour of fudgy toffee to a cake. By boiling the basic ingredients, the sugar dissolves and caramelises. Adding both golden syrup (you can use agave nectar) and sugar makes it a very sweet cake, but I prefer this. The sugar enhances the flavour of the bananas. It is also very rich, so there is the tiniest chance that you may have leftovers.

Note that this cake contains no wheat flour but ground almonds and consequently takes a very long time to cook at a low temperature. This is to avoid the edges drying out before the wetness in the centre of the cake can evaporate. If your oven is powerful, lower the given heat slightly – though be prepared to leave it in the oven for extra time. The only way to test if this cake is done is to insert a skewer, then pull it out. If there is any wet batter on the skewer, the cake needs more time in the oven. I would not worry too much, however, because it is hard to overcook the cake.

You will need a 20cm/8in loaf tin; or a 20cm/8in round tin.

INGREDIENTS

115g/4oz butter, plus extra for greasing

115g/4oz soft brown sugar, dark or light

115g/4oz golden syrup

1 heaped tsp cinnamon

3 ripe bananas, roughly mashed

2 eggs, lightly beaten

250g/9oz ground almonds

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2. Grease a loaf tin with a little butter, line it with baking paper and grease it once more.

Put the butter, sugar and syrup into a pan together, bring to the boil then simmer the mixture for three minutes. It will have the appearance and thickness of a fudge sauce.

Allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then stir in the cinnamon and banana. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and fold in the almonds. The mixture is very wet and lumpy. It will not look as if it could possibly set, but it will.

Bake for about 1 ½ -2 hours, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool — unless the greedy dive in first — and you will have a lovely, soggy cake that will last for days.

Your letters

Two conundrums, one which I can partly solve, the other which I hereby put out to the Baking Club.

This letter from Sarah Stennet, who is intolerant to many foods, including eggs: “I was wondering whether you could cover egg-free cooking in an article. I have trouble with citrus, tomatoes and dairy… those [foods] are not so difficult but [I] am pretty lost without eggs, particularly in baking, as I read it can affect quantities of other ingredients. Any advice?”

I would be lost without eggs, too, Sarah, but I will look out for recipes, and would welcome suggestions from readers. We will tackle egg-free cakes as soon as I find a good recipe.

Tony Buckley, an enthusiastic bread baker, is looking for a particular piece of equipment. “I make my own bread very successfully using a bread machine set for dough which I then reform and bake in our fan oven. I would like to buy a machine that just makes the dough to make two or three loaves in one go, and then have one bake for the week.”

Modern bread machines all seem to have a baking facility, as far as I can find, but I do have a Thermomix, which can time, warm and mix dough. This is a fantastic piece of industrial kit, though not large, that chefs love for chopping and making smooth purées. It is also very powerful and though not cheap, it is a timesaver that earns its keep (ukthermomix.com).